Reborn Preview
by blackrosedrippingred
Summary: JUST A PREVIEW. Sakura comes across an ailing Sasuke and agrees to help him on the condition that he returns to Konoha with her. Not everyone is thrilled to have him back. What will happen in the months that follow? Does Sasuke have a chance at redemption? Or was his fate sealed the moment he returned home?
1. Chapter 1

**So this is currently a work in progress. I am uploading a preview more or less to gage what the interest is as well as to motivate myself to keep up with this particular piece of work. The premise of this story is Sasuke's return to Konoha and the relationship that develops between him and his former teammates. This story already has two endings and will be presented with both. This is about half of what I currently have. Please Read and Review; I would love to have feedback on what you as a reader think of this story. Thank you. (Also, not dead, still very much alive, just took a weird three or so year hiatus).**

I wouldn't say I believe in anything that breaches the borders of reality; but really, given my current situation, there's got to be something out there. I can't quite say what that would be; fate, Kami, coincidence? But whatever it is, it's cruel. It's savagely, unmercifully, painstakingly cruel. Am I missing any words? I don't think there's any other way to describe it.

Placing a hand on the dark trunk of the towering tree, I try to catch my breath. I can feel the uneven bark beneath the gloves of my ANBU uniform as my palm slides down its length. My knees feel weak like I might lose my footing at any second. Suddenly the birds twittering and chirruping the bliss of fresh Spring dissolves in the cacophony of my heartbeat. I try taking a couple deep breaths, aligning my energy, but I can't keep the anxiety, the confusion, the sadness from seeping in. Maybe it's just always been there, like I never got rid of it, or it's just exacerbated by this event.

Do I leave? Just pretend this never happened and leave?

I can't do that, it's treason. He's wanted. Konoha still has signs posted warning to report any sightings of him.

I peak my head around the tree, peering through the slits of my mask.

Half his body is submerged in the clear lake. His mass of black hair is all I see as his head is bent, his bandaged hands unravelling the poorly structured tourniquet covering his chest and abdomen. His biceps flex as he struggles, ripping and tearing at the blood soaked gauze, discarding the pieces wherever. I suck in a sharp breath as the last of the wrapping falls. A large gash that's clearly infected, even from where I watch, creates a path across his torso, shoulder to hip. The edges of his wound fester with pus and blood; it's so contaminated that I find it hard to calculate the age of the lesion.

Why hasn't he treated it? Sasuke isn't so stubborn that he would let something like that go unattended.

Has he been poisoned?

He begins unwrapping his hands, which I see are red with irritation and cuts, before dousing them in the water. Sasuke lifts his hands up, cupping a handful of liquid. He raises his head to the sun, releasing the lake in his hands, letting the water wash his face of the blood, sweat, and dirt. Then, he dips below the surface and I wait with bated breath.

What do I do?

What would Naruto do?

_ "It's been a long time, Teme."_

_ "Dobe, you of all people?"_

_ "Don't act like you're not happy to see me," Naruto would then grin as if nothing had ever occurred, and cry because something had. "C'mon, I'm taking you back to Konoha."_

But then, what would Sasuke do?

Surely he wouldn't just hop on Naruto's back and turn himself in, right?

Sasuke resurfaces, taking a large gulp of air in the process, wiping his mangled hands down his face to clear away some of the water. He pauses, his right index finger and thumb resting around the curve of his chin mid-wipe, and his eyes turn on me.

Blacker than any starless night, richer than any piece of chocolate, and the deepest abyss known to humanity.

I don't try to hide myself anymore, dropping to a lower branch before swinging to the forest floor.

"That's funny," he almost chuckles, smiling bitterly.

"Well I'm glad you find it amusing," I fire off before I'm able to catch myself.

"I don't know if it's so much a traditional humor as it is sick irony," I take note how much huskier, darker his tone of voice is. His words suggest a lifted weight, his voice suggests an added burden. "Ironic because I picked the least likely border between villages that a Konoha Nin would cross, yet here you are."

"You've been away too long, then," far too long, "Konoha and Sumer are broaching their third year of peaceful interrelations."

Almost unaware, I reach down to caress the scroll attached to my hip, making sure it's still there; that was my mission, not to play catch-up with a wanted Nin.

"Is that so?"

I don't validate his question with a response. I don't know what he's playing at; I don't know if I want to find out. Though, he does look to be in too ill of a condition to have any sort of plan formulated. I watch as Sasuke winces, sucking air in between his teeth in a painful hiss, pulling himself out of the water to rest against a stone jutting out onto land. His head rolls back, eyes closed, like he's basking in the sun.

I trace the gash over and over with my eyes, even removing my ANBU mask for a better look. He's going to die. The force of such a fact upon realization hits me from some place far, deep down in my subconscious, my very being, that it's such a shock as it bubbles over the surface. Something I haven't felt in years. Ten whole years.

Then, as I feel the stinging trail of a tear roll down my cheek, I recognize it. Suddenly, I'm a little girl again, begging him not to leave; wanting to give everything just to make him stay. Frantically, I swipe at the tear and the beginnings of new ones forming on my lower lid.

That attitude didn't work then, and it's certainly not going to now. Not that I would want it to, I remind myself.

"You should get yourself to a medic," I say replacing my mask, pretending it's my version of Sasuke's stoic expression. "You'll die without one."

I resolve myself in that moment, however selfish it may be, to leave him here to fend for himself. Konoha is better without him. Kakashi and Naruto are better without him. _I_ am better without him.

He has no context in our lives anymore.

But I regret it as soon as I think it.

None of us ever had any context, we just were.

We were Team 7.

"Have you got any experience?"

I freeze. I'm only the leading medic at the hospital, second to Tsunade of course.

"Why would I help you?" I try to sound cold, unflinching like he did all those nights ago.

"Sakura," even all these years later it's like hearing music for the first time; the way my name rolls off his tongue hitting every syllable like chords in a symphony, "This isn't about you or me or Naruto, or Konoha for that matter. I'm injured. I need your help."

That was a first. Had he left his pride along with his conscience by every man, woman, and child he'd ever killed?

I grappled with myself. I swore to protect and nurse anyone who needed my assistance, on the grounds of anonymity. No questions asked. It wasn't my department to catch or kill criminals. Not anymore.

Sasuke's eyes were boring into mine, pleading what his lips could not.

Cursing as I exhaled, I pulled off my gloves and mask, piling them on the grass by my tree trunk. I marched over to Sasuke and kneeled beside him.

"I need you to sit up, not slouch," I refused to help him, not wanting to touch him any longer than necessary. I chewed my lip and watched him struggle to pull himself out of his slump. "A-And if I do this, you have to come back to Konoha with me."

I know, without having processed the statement before hand, that I am doing the right thing. Things happen for a reason, don't they?

Maybe. Regardless, I know that if I let him go for a second time, I'll regret it the rest of my life.

"I may as well just sit here and rot then."

I give him a hard stare, deliberating his options, but I really have no idea what would happen if he returned. We've never actually apprehended a wanted Nin of his magnitude. How do things like this work? Would they just kill him?

No, Naruto wouldn't let that happen. He's next in line to be Hokage, they have to take his opinion into account. And Kakashi, he must have some say in it. Surely they wouldn't just let him roam around though.

"Sasuke," the name sounds so foreign on my tongue, "I can't promise you freedom; in fact, I can't promise you anything. But I know for sure that if I don't patch you up and take you to the hospital, you are going to die."

I see the emptiness in his eyes and I'm shocked to see him deliberating the latter of his options. He is unafraid. I don't know what he did, what he accomplished, if anything, but he is ready.

"Okay," his face hardens, "I'll go."

Almost.

I don't realize until the relief hits that I'd been anticipating a far greater struggle. But, Sasuke knows his condition. Even with his years of practice and my years of celibacy in the field, he wouldn't be able to take me on.

He closes his eyes, almost in defeat.

I rub my hands together and place them at either end of the wound. It's a risky procedure and as I watch the wound begin to close, I almost question myself. If I don't get him to the hospital soon, the pus and poison, the infection, could spread to the rest of his body, to his internal organs, killing him. He needs surgery, and fast.

I watch as the last portion of skin closes and become firm in my belief once more that I've done the right thing. The wound could have gotten more infected if I hadn't. He could have bled to death. At least I stopped that.

"Alright," I go to reapply my armor then return to Sasuke, kneeling once more, "Climb on."

I expect a snarky comment, but he complies, fastening himself as best he can. He's heavy, but I wouldn't be a kunoichi if I couldn't carry a teammate; so we take off.

* * *

When I approach the gates, the guards are immediately at attention and rush to relieve me of my burden. Their only admission of his identity as they turn him round to properly distribute his weight is a stunned silence.

"He needs urgent medical attention. I'm taking him to the hospital," I state firmly, removing my mask and armor to make sure they are aware of who I am, knowing full well what their priorities are. "This is by order of the Hokage."

I will come under fire for that later, I know.

Sasuke's eyes flutter as his limps go slack and I can tell he's losing consciousness.

But, I need to get him to the hospital now.

"Now!" I shout and they motion over a couple more guards to keep watch before breaking into a run with me towards the city center. We reach the hospital and I swipe my card to get in. I clear a path down the hallway to the ER, throwing the doors open and readying the room. After laying out new tools, I turn ready to receive the patient.

They've disappeared.

"What the fuck?" I curse and race out of the room coming to a fork in the hospital wing. They probably went to see the Hokage. I head straight down the middle and storm into Tsunade's office.

Sure enough an unconscious Uchiha lays across a makeshift examining table, Tsunade hovering over him. I shoot the guards a glare as they stand at attention on the other side of her room. I stand opposite Tsunade, hands behind my back, stifling my impatience.

"So I assume you were en route to bring this to my attention but got sidetracked somehow, isn't that right Sakura?"

"I was busy prepping the surgery room."

"Tsunade-sama, she informed us that you gave the orders to have him treated," one of the guards puts in.

She raises her head and the look in her eyes as she meets my gaze is deadly.

"That I did," she acquiesces, then looks to one of the guards, "Find Mikuma-san and get him into the ER. I'll be there shortly."

The guards pull him off the table and I watch Sasuke go until the doors close. I lower my eyes to the floor.

"What the hell were you thinking bringing him in here by yourself? Do you have any idea how dangerous this man is?"

I chew my lip, wring my fingers, then raise my eyes. Her cheeks are red as if she's been drinking, her nostrils flaring, hands planted firmly on her desk.

"What were you going to do, Sakura? Tell me."

"He is dying, Tsunade-sama, what was I supposed to do?"

"Leave him to fend for himself!"

"How can you say that?" I question incredulously, "We are medics, we are supposed - "

She holds her hand up to stop me.

"Sakura, I get it, I do. You've known him since you were children, I understand how hard it is to see a team member years after such a devastating betrayal. I understand that your first response is to go to them, especially if they're in need."

Just like that she snuffs my fire. What am I suppose to say? What _can_ I say that justifies my situation, differentiates it from hers? I exhale, lowering my eyes. I've conceded.

"Now Sakura, I'm sure this is difficult for you. I can imagine how badly you want to be in that room right now, helping him, but I can't allow it. I can't risk you interfering in anything that might _need_ to happen during the procedure."

"Tsunade-sama, that's -"

"Final. That is final," I hear the clack of her shoes as she moves toward me. Her hand rests on my shoulder and she gives it a squeeze, "I'm sorry Sakura-chan. Go home and rest, I'm sure you need it."

She begins to walk out and I turn about.

"What do we tell Naruto?"

"We keep it under wraps for now, especially to the rest of the village," she pauses, "We don't need to go ruining his vacation."

She closes the door behind her and almost immediately the exhaustion hits.

Dejection

Vulnerability

Weakness

I'm shaking

And then I cry, sinking to the floor in a puddle of matted nerves and broken spirits.

* * *

I take a deep breath as I remove my clothing, sliding off the belt with the scroll attached to it. Shit.

Placing the scroll on my bedside table, I settle for taking it back to Tsunade after my shower. As I turn the nobs to the correct temperature, I see the blood on my hands. How did I not notice it before?

The color is deep and dried, cracking along the lines of my palms.

Sasuke's blood.

I step into the steam and stream, rubbing my hands frantically to erase the day; the blood, the sweat, the grime of old memories. I scrub until my flesh is raw and pink; reborn.

That's what I am.

That's what I became after he left us; reborn.

I am reborn.

And I will be reborn as many times as it takes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah so I hadn't intended to update this because honestly I prefer one shots. I think I just want to keep you guys updated, somewhat, but eventually release it as a one shot. Just know that this is not where the story is at currently, this is just the part right after what I had previously released. I do not want to release all of the story right now just in case I get super busy and can't come back to it, I have stuff that I can upload to keep you guys interested. Again, R&R (pretty please). Thank you!**

* * *

I find no difference in the vivacity of the village's population between night and day. This town appears never to sleep. The only shift is location. During the day, the city center will be packed to the brim, people bustling this way and that. At night, the masses taper off to the outskirts of the village where the restaurants and shops are littered.

I enjoy walking the streets near the hospital at night because they're empty. The quiet is soothing and emphasized by the whisper of the soft spring wind. I tilt my head to the sky because at this time of night I can clearly see the stars. I feel that the more I look at them the more complicated their patterns become and the more the world seems to make sense.

But I know as I approach the hospital, my world is far from making sense. Now, I am outside looking in, examining every detail of what occurred. I never think about things when I'm in the midst of it all; that's what I did ten years ago and all it got me was a cold night on a stone bench of unconscious bliss.

Why did I bring him back?

I swipe my card to get inside the building. On the other side of the door two nins stand at the ready. I don't remember them being here before.

But I guess 'before' we weren't harboring a highly sought after criminal.

The guards nod their heads at me to continue on my way. I suppose they didn't ask me for identification because I'm so easily recognizable. Unfortunately, my flamboyant hair isn't so handy in the field.

I take the familiar twists and turns to reach Tsunade's office, passing a few nurses on the way, none of which I know. There's no crack of light peaking from under her door and lately she's been taking the responsibility of actually sleeping at home. I enter regardless but find it empty, so I lay the scroll on top of her paperwork and exit.

But I don't make it farther than the fork in the hallway. I can't help but wonder about Sasuke; as to where they put him.

Before I enter the main hallway and the guards spot me, I duck behind the nurse's desk and check the roster for all current patients. We don't have many so it doesn't take me long to flip to the last of the list.

Uchiha, Sasuke.

Room 316.

They put him on the one floor without windows or access to the elevator. I suppose that makes sense.

I swipe my card to enter the staircase and run all the way to the third floor. I rarely spend time up here so the first thing I do is walk down the wrong hall.

313, 314, 315, I count mentally. When I reach 316, I hear the thump of heavy footsteps and mentally slap myself. Of course they would have sentries on this floor! This is fucking Sasuke Uchiha, why would this place not be crawling with nins? With great agitation, I fumble as I try to swipe my card but manage to slide it correctly and try the handle. The door is yanked from the inside as I push, and I fall inside the room. I hear the door close swiftly but silently behind me as a hand glues itself over my mouth.

I can barely make Sasuke's face out in the pitch black room, the only light emanating from the crack under the door and the small square of glass embedded above.

"Don't move and don't make a sound until I say so," he hisses into my ear, his breath hot on my skin. I nod my consent and he rises quietly, settling back into the hospital bed. I keep my back pressed firmly against the dark wood, hoping against some odds that he doesn't decide to check in.

Only now do I realize how much trouble I've gotten myself into. Why do I do this to myself? It's all his fault but I'm still to blame.

"Sakura," hearing him say my name is like a candle guiding me through the dark room and I follow it to his bedside. He grabs my hand and squeezes tight, "I think I'm reacting to the medicine. I feel dizzy."

"Sasuke, you're burning up," I try to remove my hand from his rough, blazing grip. I can feel the hard calluses and healing scrapes, and know that Tsunade is purposefully keeping him weak. She's buying herself time to figure out what to do with him. He's not reacting to the medicine, they've drugged him. "Let go, I'll get you a compress."

He complies and I rush to the small bathroom tucked into a corner. I snatch a facial towel off the rack and run it under lukewarm water. Folding it into a neat rectangle, I resume my place beside him and rest the compress on his heated forehead.

"That's not cold enough," he gripes, but holds it against his head anyway. I slap his hand away.

"Don't move, you'll exacerbate your fever. It can't be any colder than this or we'll lower your body temperature too much," gingerly, I lay my fingers over the wet cloth to keep it in place, "I'll have to change this in a few minutes before it gets cold."

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"I wasn't planning on staying at all," I retort.

"So, why are you here?"

"I'm just checking in," I suppose it's not a lie but I feel that it barely scratches the surface of why I actually am here.

"You're going to get in trouble," his eyes start to close, "Again."

"What do you mean again?"

"Your sensei," he takes a deep breath and shudders. I remove the cloth and return to the bathroom to rinse it, "She already yelled at you once didn't she?"

"How do you know?" I ask upon resuming my position.

"I thought she might have. It was odd that you weren't in the room when I woke up."

"Why would I be?"

"Well, you're here now aren't you?"

I'm glad his eyes are closed so he can't see the pained expression that crosses my face, but I'm sure my silence is enough of an explanation.

"You were with me then, too."

Of course I was. Of course I am.

Where else would I be?

"You know, talking excessively can aggravate your fever, as well. I think this is the most I've ever heard you run your mouth for. You're starting to sound like Naruto."

"Hn," he grunts.

"That's more like it," a small smile comes to my lips, but I remove it as soon as his eyes open to look at me.

"Where is Naruto? Does he know I'm here?" his gaze is intensely focused on me. I can't imagine how conflicted he feels right now, asking about one of the people closest to him that felt the sting of betrayal as bad as I did.

I hesitate before answering.

"No, he doesn't know," my voice almost breaks because I know how much easier this would be if I could have Naruto to confide in, "He's away at the moment."

"On a mission?"

"No," I smile a little now, proud, "He got married, Sasuke."

"And he left his wife behind?" he chuckles softly.

"What? Ew, Sasuke, no, that's gross," I swat his shoulder and he hisses in pain, "Oh shit, I'm sorry."

I rub his shoulder, extracting the pain.

"How was the surgery?"

"Like hell," he grumbles, "But I'd already been there a few times so I thought well, why not once more?"

"Couldn't they numb the area?"

"Until they got the poison out it wouldn't work."

"Sasuke, what happened?"

He stays silent, neither looking at me or the object his gaze is directed at. Rather, he's watching something play out behind his eyes; some horrific scene that causes the corners of his mouth to drop considerably and his forehead to crease.

Was it Itachi?

Orochimaru?

Or was somebody just trying to defend themselves from whatever Sasuke tried to do?

Sasuke is a murderer, that much we know. Over the years we've received reports, sightings, of him following in the footsteps of the most infamous Sanin and leaving nothing but a trail of blood and carnage behind the both of them.

"I should leave now," I toss the cloth into the used garment hamper and stand, "Just rest as much as you can. It'll pass."

It's the only information I can offer without offending the law of my teacher anymore than I apparently already have today. I glance down at Sasuke once more, but he doesn't respond so I take my leave.

Waiting behind his door, I watch as the guard disappears down another hall to make his rounds and choose the appropriate time to flee. When I get downstairs, I use a different point of entry so the guards don't question how long I've been here and escape into the crisp night air.

* * *

"Here is the report from the surgery," Tsunade slaps Sasuke's file down in front of me. I open it and skim its contents, "I thought you might want to know."

"Mangrin?" I look up to her for clarification, "That was the poison?"

"Yes," she nods her head as she speaks, "Obviously somebody wanted him to have a slow and painful death."

Mangrin is one of the more deadly and rare poisons known to us. I've studied it thoroughly but never actually come across it. It's been known to take days before actually killing the subject. Mangrin is the slowest acting poison and the most crippling as it eats a person away from the inside, attacking first the blood stream, then the muscles, and finally the bones, sinew, flesh.

"He's lucky you came along. Sasuke had about fourteen hours of invasion so we were able to extricate all the poison."

"What's his recovery time?"

"We're looking at a week maybe more for all the post-symptoms to wear off."

"Then why do you have him on suppressants? That's only going to subdue his immune system."

"How do you know that?" she looks irritated and I read through the rest of the material, finding that information absent.

"Never mind, how did he get like that?" I ask trying to divert the conversation.

"Sakura, how do you know that?"

"Tell me what happened!"

"Not until you explain why you have that kind of information!"

I close the file and push it towards her.

"He had a fever last night that if I had to guess would say was bordering a hundred and three degrees fahrenheit."

"What were you doing here last night?! Alone?!"

"I was paying him a visit. Don't ask me why, maybe I was concerned, I don't know. Look, it's fine, nothing happened. Clearly he was on too many suppressants to do me any actual harm."

She heaves a heavy sigh.

"I suppose that would explain why he's been asking for you all morning."

"What?"

"He's been requesting your care at least since I arrived here. He keeps threatening to expose himself to the rest of the staff; I think he knows he's supposed to be kept a secret," she gives me a scrutinizing look, "You wouldn't have anything to do with that would you?"

I shake my head.

"I can't deny you'd be a perfect candidate to be his primary doctor; not only are you my prodigy but you have experience as a nin, something these nurses lack. But right now my primary objective is deliberating with the other delegates of Konoha to find a safer, more inconspicuous place for him to be until we decide on a trial."

"A trial?"

"He has to answer for what he's done Sakura," she fixes me with a hard stare, "There's no forgiving the crimes he's committed."

I hang my head, once again harshly awakened to the reality that Sasuke is no longer my teammate, my wanted love, my friend; he is a criminal. Uchiha Sasuke is a dangerous criminal.

No mercy.

No remorse.

Those are the things we learned he lacked.

A decade of betrayal, murder, and indifference.

Why did I bring him back?


End file.
